On Monday, Stan had some bloodwork done and met with the radiation consultant. The consultant was encouraging in that he felt that Stan would be having such a low dosage of radiation that he would have virtually no side effects. YEAH!!!!!!
Also, i had the first of my "caregivers' 1 1/2 hour classes-- there is a reason I was never a nurse---I will be challenged on Wenesday to see if I am a good student and won't "accidentally" kill my husband trying to clean his CVC!
Today--Stan had the CVC put in and now we are on our way to my second class and stan's eye appointment.
Hope to talk to you all soon!
Thank you to all who have written comments, emailed and called--I cannot tell you how much this communication means and I will respond more once qwe have received our own laptop.
goota go 1
Leslie
Tuesday, July 31, 2007
Mints
I HAD to tell my friends who know "me and my mints" that here at MDAnderson, they ( the hospitality volunteers) actually hand out mints to people who are waitnig for appointments or their family members. They say that the mints are good for your brain and stomach and stress---imagine--this huge hospital is saying what I've ben saying too! So=-----keep handing out those mints!!!
Weekend excitement
Our first weekend in Texas was interesting.
On Saturday, we walked (20 min) to the nearest grocery store, bought food for the week and took a taxi "home" Stan stood on the curb and watched the groceries until I could shuttle enough up to our apartment for us to get the remaining bags in one more trip. About 2 hours AFTER we had been back--the taxi company called and said they we waiting for us, up front--we have NO idea why this happened--luckily we were not waiting that long for a taxi--we must have taken someone else's taxi--oops!
Saturday night--I was drying my hair and the power went out in 1/2 of our apartment---they got it back on within 2 hours.
Sunday, we noticed that the refridgerator was leaking water all over our newly purchased food AND when I went to run the dishwasher--the water immediately poured out of the dishwasher onto our 2X4 kitchen. Again we called the maintenance department--but so far-- these items have not been fixed--maybe by the time we get back to the apt today.
Apartment living is definately interesting--at home any noise you hear is from your own house, family or friends--here, we have to learn to ignore many of the noises we hear.All in all , things are still good!
On Saturday, we walked (20 min) to the nearest grocery store, bought food for the week and took a taxi "home" Stan stood on the curb and watched the groceries until I could shuttle enough up to our apartment for us to get the remaining bags in one more trip. About 2 hours AFTER we had been back--the taxi company called and said they we waiting for us, up front--we have NO idea why this happened--luckily we were not waiting that long for a taxi--we must have taken someone else's taxi--oops!
Saturday night--I was drying my hair and the power went out in 1/2 of our apartment---they got it back on within 2 hours.
Sunday, we noticed that the refridgerator was leaking water all over our newly purchased food AND when I went to run the dishwasher--the water immediately poured out of the dishwasher onto our 2X4 kitchen. Again we called the maintenance department--but so far-- these items have not been fixed--maybe by the time we get back to the apt today.
Apartment living is definately interesting--at home any noise you hear is from your own house, family or friends--here, we have to learn to ignore many of the noises we hear.All in all , things are still good!
Friday, July 27, 2007
Good day!
Hi everyone. Today was a good day. We found out that Stan's donor is a 41 year old man, blood type O+ (which means that Stan will change from O- to O+ after the transplant. we also got the results of most of his tests and the Dr says he is in the best situation possible for the transplant--what a great way to start the weekend. Stan is very tired today, so he may go back to the apt for a nap.We will not be near a computer over the weekend, but we are still available by cell and otherwise we will "blog: again on Monday . Stan has bloodwork and radiation info on Monday, and i have to take my first class on his CVC (port).
Tuesday==he has the CVC put in and an opthamology consult and I have my second class and I have my first "demo" for cleaning out the port (sort of like the practical part of the 8th grade NYS Science assessment.
Wednesday -Stan has blood taken and he has one round of chemo. While he is doing that ,I have my 2nd "demo" on how to change the CVC dressing and the I have a class on "the transplant process".
So, we are leaving MDAnderson today, again feeling thar we have made the right decision!
ttyl
Leslie
Tuesday==he has the CVC put in and an opthamology consult and I have my second class and I have my first "demo" for cleaning out the port (sort of like the practical part of the 8th grade NYS Science assessment.
Wednesday -Stan has blood taken and he has one round of chemo. While he is doing that ,I have my 2nd "demo" on how to change the CVC dressing and the I have a class on "the transplant process".
So, we are leaving MDAnderson today, again feeling thar we have made the right decision!
ttyl
Leslie
Thursday, July 26, 2007
One full day at MDAnderson
One full day at MDAnderson---wow! This is an amazing place
(I have been freezing in the air conditioning all day--tomorrow I will bring a sweater and SOCKS!)
This place is huge--clean, friendly , well decorated and there are many "green spaces" to sit in doors and out. They identfy the different sections by putting a special art type object in the reception area--such as "the Gazebo" (yes a full scale gazebo) or a sundial or the Metal tree or the waterfall. as soon as I get the cord to attach my camera to the computer, I will post some pictures.There are reclining chairs and rockers and couches in all the waiting areas--also there is free coffee in many areas. Stan had a 3 hour wait between appointments today, so we went to the hospitality room and got coffee and cookies , pillows and blankets and we took a NAP!
We have met MANY nice people while waiting. The only thing is that everyone here is here because of cancer, so there is an underlying sadness everywhere you look --the patients and the families.
The one thing that we find with everyone we meet is that MDAnderson is the best there is for cancer treatment so we feel encouraged that we are in the right place!
(here's a tidbit of news for me---I have to go to 2 classes on how to clean Stan's "port" (actually called a CVC) and how to change the dressing for it . Also, I have to be tested to show the nurses that I can flush out the CVC and change the dressing--that begins on Monday--yipee!!
Well, until tomorrow!
Leslie
(I have been freezing in the air conditioning all day--tomorrow I will bring a sweater and SOCKS!)
This place is huge--clean, friendly , well decorated and there are many "green spaces" to sit in doors and out. They identfy the different sections by putting a special art type object in the reception area--such as "the Gazebo" (yes a full scale gazebo) or a sundial or the Metal tree or the waterfall. as soon as I get the cord to attach my camera to the computer, I will post some pictures.There are reclining chairs and rockers and couches in all the waiting areas--also there is free coffee in many areas. Stan had a 3 hour wait between appointments today, so we went to the hospitality room and got coffee and cookies , pillows and blankets and we took a NAP!
We have met MANY nice people while waiting. The only thing is that everyone here is here because of cancer, so there is an underlying sadness everywhere you look --the patients and the families.
The one thing that we find with everyone we meet is that MDAnderson is the best there is for cancer treatment so we feel encouraged that we are in the right place!
(here's a tidbit of news for me---I have to go to 2 classes on how to clean Stan's "port" (actually called a CVC) and how to change the dressing for it . Also, I have to be tested to show the nurses that I can flush out the CVC and change the dressing--that begins on Monday--yipee!!
Well, until tomorrow!
Leslie
Apartment living
We moved into our furnished apartment yesterday(Wednesday). Our address is
Stan and Leslie Wright
Brompton Court Apartments
7510 Brompton Road, Apt 573
Houston, Texas,77025
(we do have a telephone in the apt--# is (713) 667-1308 )
The apartment complex is gated and quite nice--3 story brick buildings, nicely landscaped, swimming pools, exercise room. The insides are dark and dingy. Our apartment is QUITE SMALL! (maybe 500-600 sq. feet total) (for those of you at school--my whole apartment would fit inside one of our classrooms!), but it is fine for our purposes! Our window overlooks the pool.The furnishings are Walmart/Target specials with much church related decor.It IS completely furnished with dishes, linens, cleaning products etc--which is very helpful.
There is a small convienient store in our complex, but quite pricy--a gallon of milk is $5.99!! We have to PLAN our food outing for this weekend as Stan is Booked solid for today and tomorrow with tests/appointments.
There is a shuttle that goes to MDAnderson from our apt about 10 times a day--we buy $1.00 tokens for this--each person/each trip is one token--but it is a very short trip to MDAnderson--lees than 10 minutes and a pleasant ride.
Aside from the smallness of the apartment--getting used to all the noises is interesting--it seems that someone is ALWAYS taking a shower at all hours of the day and night and we hear the water running through the pipes---I'm sure that 4 months from now--I will miss this sound when I go home.
Right now I am in the waiting room while Stan is in his first PET Scan for the day--a 3 hour test--luckily the waiting areas are lovely and they have computers available for use.
WEATHER---78 degrees and humid at 6:30 am! The forecast for the next week is for temps in the high 80's and 50-80% chance of thunderstorms---yes I have packed umbrellas!
Talk to you soon!\
Leslie
Stan and Leslie Wright
Brompton Court Apartments
7510 Brompton Road, Apt 573
Houston, Texas,77025
(we do have a telephone in the apt--# is (713) 667-1308 )
The apartment complex is gated and quite nice--3 story brick buildings, nicely landscaped, swimming pools, exercise room. The insides are dark and dingy. Our apartment is QUITE SMALL! (maybe 500-600 sq. feet total) (for those of you at school--my whole apartment would fit inside one of our classrooms!), but it is fine for our purposes! Our window overlooks the pool.The furnishings are Walmart/Target specials with much church related decor.It IS completely furnished with dishes, linens, cleaning products etc--which is very helpful.
There is a small convienient store in our complex, but quite pricy--a gallon of milk is $5.99!! We have to PLAN our food outing for this weekend as Stan is Booked solid for today and tomorrow with tests/appointments.
There is a shuttle that goes to MDAnderson from our apt about 10 times a day--we buy $1.00 tokens for this--each person/each trip is one token--but it is a very short trip to MDAnderson--lees than 10 minutes and a pleasant ride.
Aside from the smallness of the apartment--getting used to all the noises is interesting--it seems that someone is ALWAYS taking a shower at all hours of the day and night and we hear the water running through the pipes---I'm sure that 4 months from now--I will miss this sound when I go home.
Right now I am in the waiting room while Stan is in his first PET Scan for the day--a 3 hour test--luckily the waiting areas are lovely and they have computers available for use.
WEATHER---78 degrees and humid at 6:30 am! The forecast for the next week is for temps in the high 80's and 50-80% chance of thunderstorms---yes I have packed umbrellas!
Talk to you soon!\
Leslie
Tuesday, July 24, 2007
We've arrived!
Well, with a few last minute changes in our living arrangements--we have arrived in Houston.
we got confirmation THIS MORNING that the donor passed his/her physical (good timing!)
Also, as we were running a little late, we got a call from the housing people saying that we have an apartment TOMORROW! However, that meant that we had to give up our room at St. Dominic's for tonight and very quickly make room reservations at a hotel for tonight. We are at the Holiday Inn in Houston, within 2 blocks of MDAnderson.
We move into Brompton Court tomorrow afternoon (luckily this is NOT the apartment complex with the increase in "at gunpoint attacks"!) We'll update everyone probably on Thursday!
We had a great flight and met some very nice people on the plane.
Talk to you all soon!
Leslie and Stan
we got confirmation THIS MORNING that the donor passed his/her physical (good timing!)
Also, as we were running a little late, we got a call from the housing people saying that we have an apartment TOMORROW! However, that meant that we had to give up our room at St. Dominic's for tonight and very quickly make room reservations at a hotel for tonight. We are at the Holiday Inn in Houston, within 2 blocks of MDAnderson.
We move into Brompton Court tomorrow afternoon (luckily this is NOT the apartment complex with the increase in "at gunpoint attacks"!) We'll update everyone probably on Thursday!
We had a great flight and met some very nice people on the plane.
Talk to you all soon!
Leslie and Stan
We leave today
I have been awake since 3:30 this morning-I cannot sleep,I know I have more to do, but can't seem to get moving--so I am writing this blog!
Our plane leaves at 3:20 today.I should be excited, but this trip is filled more with trepidation than anticipation. Last Tuesday, I said good-bye to my daughter for 4 months, today I say good-bye to my son for 4 months--this is very hard-my heart physically hurts. They both say"Mom, we will be fine!", which I know is true---they are wonderful,resourceful young adults--it is me who is not fine---I have been a mother, a wife , a teacher-for a long time--but always in my home--now I will be out of my element--away from all my supports and given a challenge of a lifetime (actually of Stan's chance for life) I am honored and thankful that I can be there for my husband ,but this is just a little daunting.
We are supposed to be staying(temporarily) at St Dominic's Garden Village--which is actually St Dominic's convent remodeled--we get a room with twin beds and a private bath--we'll let you know tomorrow how these living arrangements will work out (or not). Also tomorrow, we will try to get the "lay of the land" since Stan has no tests scheduled tomorrow--he does have them scheduled ALL DAY (from 7:30am-6pm) on Thursday and Friday.
Stan is packing now! (you would not want him to be early- that would be out of character). I packed, but still have too much stuff---I have to take out the things I MIGHT need and just take those things I WILL need--this is easier than it sounds. This also leaves me with an unbelievably heavy suitcase and carry-on.
I need to say, once again, how blessed Stan and I feel to have such wonderful friends and family---we will miss everyone very much, so PLEASE keep in touch!
So--I'll talk to y'all from Texas next time.
Leslie
Our plane leaves at 3:20 today.I should be excited, but this trip is filled more with trepidation than anticipation. Last Tuesday, I said good-bye to my daughter for 4 months, today I say good-bye to my son for 4 months--this is very hard-my heart physically hurts. They both say"Mom, we will be fine!", which I know is true---they are wonderful,resourceful young adults--it is me who is not fine---I have been a mother, a wife , a teacher-for a long time--but always in my home--now I will be out of my element--away from all my supports and given a challenge of a lifetime (actually of Stan's chance for life) I am honored and thankful that I can be there for my husband ,but this is just a little daunting.
We are supposed to be staying(temporarily) at St Dominic's Garden Village--which is actually St Dominic's convent remodeled--we get a room with twin beds and a private bath--we'll let you know tomorrow how these living arrangements will work out (or not). Also tomorrow, we will try to get the "lay of the land" since Stan has no tests scheduled tomorrow--he does have them scheduled ALL DAY (from 7:30am-6pm) on Thursday and Friday.
Stan is packing now! (you would not want him to be early- that would be out of character). I packed, but still have too much stuff---I have to take out the things I MIGHT need and just take those things I WILL need--this is easier than it sounds. This also leaves me with an unbelievably heavy suitcase and carry-on.
I need to say, once again, how blessed Stan and I feel to have such wonderful friends and family---we will miss everyone very much, so PLEASE keep in touch!
So--I'll talk to y'all from Texas next time.
Leslie
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Packing
Last Saturday, we packed a u-haul truck and moved Noelle to her new house in Niagara Falls. I got home Tuesday night, washed all my clothes and we are now trying to pack for four months! WHAT TO PACK?!?!?!
I tried the "coordinated colors" approach--but my wardrobe looked soooooo boring that I am starting again. Also--will we even need sweaters/coats? And is it really possible to pack enough for 4 months into 1 suitcase? Well, I had better figure it out by Tuesday.
Stan--on the other hand-- has opted for packing the most colorful wardrobe--no one in Texas will miss him!!! T shirts in colors like florescent green, pylon orange, and warning sign yellow.
As Stan mentioned in an earlier blog--our laptop has not arrived yet ( not that I didn't have enough stress already) so contact for the next 2-3 weeks will probably be through my cell phone which is (518) 339-3295. (we have Verizon).
Josh will be staying at the house and"dog-sitting" He announced last week that he will be rearranging the furniture while we are gone---this has to be yet another thing that I have to "let-go" ( I am doing this WAAAAAAY more than I ever wanted in my whole life----my fellow teachers--you understand!)
So, until next blog--ttyl (which means "talk to y'all later")
Leslie
I tried the "coordinated colors" approach--but my wardrobe looked soooooo boring that I am starting again. Also--will we even need sweaters/coats? And is it really possible to pack enough for 4 months into 1 suitcase? Well, I had better figure it out by Tuesday.
Stan--on the other hand-- has opted for packing the most colorful wardrobe--no one in Texas will miss him!!! T shirts in colors like florescent green, pylon orange, and warning sign yellow.
As Stan mentioned in an earlier blog--our laptop has not arrived yet ( not that I didn't have enough stress already) so contact for the next 2-3 weeks will probably be through my cell phone which is (518) 339-3295. (we have Verizon).
Josh will be staying at the house and"dog-sitting" He announced last week that he will be rearranging the furniture while we are gone---this has to be yet another thing that I have to "let-go" ( I am doing this WAAAAAAY more than I ever wanted in my whole life----my fellow teachers--you understand!)
So, until next blog--ttyl (which means "talk to y'all later")
Leslie
Thursday, July 19, 2007
Interesting Week & We're Getting Closer
Well we finally have a scheduled banged out at MDA. The scheduler was a "bit aggressive" in putting together 12 hour day of straight appointments for Thursday & about an 8 hour day for Friday with a few days having no appointments. I have asked her to take another look at it.
The housing is shaping up. We locked in 8 days through Catholic Services this morning. Leslie & I are taking a room at a former convent & now a gated living community. I am told by the volunteers that it is absolutely beautiful. Transportation might be a problem since we need to be at MDA at 7:00 & 7:30am two of the days. Regardless, we are very thankful for being able to scratch-off this problem. As a heads-up to all, we will have to rely on the computer centers at MDA & "St. Dominic's Village" to post for the first two weeks or longer. It's a function of when Dell can ship our lap top. The point being, posting may be a bit sparse the first few weeks. The excitement really doesn't kick in until Aug. 8th which is when I believe I will start radiation "lite". That is when I become an inpatient. If things get touchy & I need Leslie to stay the night, hopefully, I'll have one of the rooms with a pull down "Murphy Bed" hidden in the wall. By that time, we are hopeful we will have secured housing at a local apartment complex, (one subsidized by one of several church based organizations) or we can extend our stay at St. Dominic's.
Last night, a group of wonderful friends we went to Mexico with a few years back, put together a pot-luck dinner for us or as they say, "a bon voyage" party. It was a magnificent night of food, drink, talk, laughter, tears, fellowship & poorly told jokes. One of the fellows suggested that since day 100+ falls on Thanksgiving, they would throw a large parade for us in NYC that day & call it the "Thanksgiving Day Parade". Do you see what we had to go through last night? We will miss these clowns a lot. They are of major support to our family.
So we have a schedule & temporary housing taken care of. Tonight, after worship service, my pastors, some of the Church Elders & Deacons, & friends will perform a "laying of hands" upon me, sending me off with the Lord's Full Armour to protect & watch over us.
The trip is looking less intimidating everyday!
The housing is shaping up. We locked in 8 days through Catholic Services this morning. Leslie & I are taking a room at a former convent & now a gated living community. I am told by the volunteers that it is absolutely beautiful. Transportation might be a problem since we need to be at MDA at 7:00 & 7:30am two of the days. Regardless, we are very thankful for being able to scratch-off this problem. As a heads-up to all, we will have to rely on the computer centers at MDA & "St. Dominic's Village" to post for the first two weeks or longer. It's a function of when Dell can ship our lap top. The point being, posting may be a bit sparse the first few weeks. The excitement really doesn't kick in until Aug. 8th which is when I believe I will start radiation "lite". That is when I become an inpatient. If things get touchy & I need Leslie to stay the night, hopefully, I'll have one of the rooms with a pull down "Murphy Bed" hidden in the wall. By that time, we are hopeful we will have secured housing at a local apartment complex, (one subsidized by one of several church based organizations) or we can extend our stay at St. Dominic's.
Last night, a group of wonderful friends we went to Mexico with a few years back, put together a pot-luck dinner for us or as they say, "a bon voyage" party. It was a magnificent night of food, drink, talk, laughter, tears, fellowship & poorly told jokes. One of the fellows suggested that since day 100+ falls on Thanksgiving, they would throw a large parade for us in NYC that day & call it the "Thanksgiving Day Parade". Do you see what we had to go through last night? We will miss these clowns a lot. They are of major support to our family.
So we have a schedule & temporary housing taken care of. Tonight, after worship service, my pastors, some of the Church Elders & Deacons, & friends will perform a "laying of hands" upon me, sending me off with the Lord's Full Armour to protect & watch over us.
The trip is looking less intimidating everyday!
Monday, July 9, 2007
Acts of Kindness
Our housing situation in Houston is still unresolved. We're not yet ready to panic but soon. Regardless, it has been a wonderful experience talking with the volunteers, who run the organizations, that make a multitude of apartments available , for little if at all any money, to complete strangers in need of medical attention while in Houston. I was told this morning by an elderly female volunteer using her delightful Texas accent, "Now honey don't you worry a bit, something will come-up." Sometimes it's the little things that make the world seem right. I had another wonderful experience this afternoon. The co-founder of a internationally recognized CLL organization & world expert on all things CLL, asked if she could be part of my support team. What a comfort she brings. Last week a close friend took me out to lunch. We talked about many things but mostly family. We agreed to speak at each other's eulogy! A few days ago, Leslie's mom gave us some money towards the purchase of a lap top computer for our trip. Some dear friends are organizing a bon voyage pot luck dinner with the group we went to Mexico with several years ago. We are being bombarded with acts of kindness. Yes, I am beginning to think that things will "work out". Hmm, coincidence or answered prayers?
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